Sustainable Earthquake Resilience with the Versatile Shape Memory Alloy (SMA)-Based Superelasticity-Assisted Slider

Abstract

Earthquakes threaten humanity globally in complex ways that mainly include various socioeconomic consequences of life and property losses. Resilience against seismic risks is of high importance in the modern world and needs to be sustainable. Sustainable earthquake resilience (SER) from the perspective of structural engineering means equipping the built environment with appropriate aseismic systems. Shape memory alloys (SMAs) are a class of advanced materials well suited for fulfilling the SER demand of the built environment. This article explores how this capability can be realized by the innovative SMA-based superelasticity-assisted slider (SSS), recently proposed for next-generation seismic protection of structures. The versatility of SSS is first discussed as a critical advantage for an effective SER. Alternative configurations and implementation styles of the system are presented, and other advantageous features of this high-tech isolation system (IS) are studied. Results of shaking table experiments, focused on investigating the expected usefulness of SSS for seismic protection in hospitals and conducted at the structural earthquake engineering laboratory of the University of Bonab, are then reported. SSS is compared with currently used ISs, and it is shown that SSS provides the required SER for the built environments and outperforms other ISs by benefitting from the pioneered utilization of SMAs in a novel approach.

Experimental-Numerical Assessment of Mechanical Behavior of Laboratory-Made Steel and NiTi Shape Memory Alloy Wire Ropes

“…Lang lay cables have wires twisted in the same direction as the strands, resulting in higher wear resistance. Cables have become increasingly important in civil engineering, particularly in bridge construction [1,2]. Hosseinzadeh et al [3] investigated the utilization of cable braces to control lateral displacement and enhance bending frame resistance.…”

“…Although the cost of SMA components is higher than that of traditional components, the latest investigations confirmed the life-cycle span benefits of SMA-based braces with reduced initial costs [12]. Alternative configurations for SMA-based superelasticity-assisted sliders (SSS) were proposed by Narjabadifam et al [13].…”